If there is one thing Singaporeans love more than designer goods, it is food. In particular street food, served up at Singapore’s many famed hawker centres. You will often find locals tottering into these hawker centres, Ferregamo clad feet, Dior glasses perched on noses, Gucci bags in hand, all in search of that legendary fried noodle or chicken rice. So here’s my pick of my favourite Singapore street food / hawker centre fare. Note, I have a sweet tooth, and am often surrounded by vegetarians, so my taste may be biased!

5. Rojak – literally meaning “mixture” or “eclectic mix”, rojak is a Malay dish that to me represents Singapore in a bowl – an unusual, yet flavoursome mixture. It can be best described as a salad of sorts, with various textures (boiled, fried and crispy, tender and cripy) covered in a sweet and sour dressing.

Four for something sweet

1. Ice kacang / Ice cendol – Singapore’s version of a Royal Faluda, except with more of the Lorde factor. Usually consists of shaved ice, assortment of jellies, beans and colourful, sugary syrups. The ultimate brain freeze in the sticky tropical heat.

3. Ice-cream sandwich – You know a slice of ice cream sandwiched between two biscuits? Boring. Singapore’s version of an ice cream sandwich (found on Orchard Rd) is a slab of your favourite flavour ice cream placed in a multi-coloured-marbled slice of bread.

Try at – The uncle on Orchard Road, usually somewhere between Ion and Takashimaya

And five to sip …

1. Ice Milo – Singapore’s non-alcoholic national drink (Singapore Sling being the sinful alcoholic national drink). If you are feeling extra indulgent, get an Ice Milo Dinosaur i.e. an additional spoonful of powdery Milo goodness sprinkled over the top of your drink.

Source : thepinktimes.blogspot

2. Ice Horlicks – As above, but Horlicks flavoured.

Source : en.yelp.com.ph

3. Sugarcane juice – Remember that time your mother told you that you’ll get jaundice if you drank sugarcane juice! Well lucky thing that Singapore food hygiene standards will (hopefully) preclude any such risks. Yum yum yum!

Source : Udita

4. Ice lemon tea – Ultimate pick me up in the heat. Pretend like you didn’t just see all the liquid sugar they poured into your drink.

Try at – Most hawker centres have specialist drink stalls, so you should be able to find these drinks with ease. My personal favourite is the drink stall at New Bugis Food Village.

Hawker Center Tips and Tricks

Carry a small pack of tissues and place this on your table of choice to reserve it while you suss out the best fare at hawker centres. This is a popular, and well respected local tradition. No one (read no one) will try to steal your table if there is a pack of tissues on it.

Stalls at hawker centres have a food grading (A to D) representing how they fared at their previous food inspection. I have never had an issue with food in Singapore; however, if you are sensitive to stomach bugs, keep this in mind when choosing where to get your lunch from.

If you are short on time and can only visit one hawker centre, I would recommend Lau Pa Sat. It is an institution. Amazing architecture, great selection of stalls. Yes, it is on the pricey side (owing to its popularity with tourists and the CBD crew) but it is worth a visit.

Avid baker, cat lover, fiction reader, and wannabe fiction writer. An eco grad and CA by profession, Udita has lived in 7 cities across 3 countries. She is married and based in Sydney, where you are likely to find her walking the beautiful streets and beaches, having chai on her balcony, or devouring food in a fish and chips shop.